Afghan Candidate Stops Short of Forming Government

Image

Abdullah Abdullah, center, a presidential candidate, asked supporters in Kabul on Tuesday to be patient. He trails Ashraf Ghani in the most recent vote tally.CreditDiego Ibarra Sánchez for The New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — After hours of pitched political drama that sent President Obama and other officials scrambling to calm a surge of Afghan factional hostility, the presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah walked a perilous line on Tuesday, threatening to declare his own government even while urging his frenzied supporters to give him time to negotiate.

Just a day before, the Afghan Independent Election Commission released preliminary results that showed Mr. Abdullah, who led in the first round, more than a million votes behind his rival, Ashraf Ghani. American officials had urged the panel not to announce the tally before conducting a widespread audit, the special envoy to Afghanistan, James F. Dobbins, said in an interview with the Voice of America channel here.

In a somber speech, Mr. Ghani said Tuesday that he would agree to a thorough audit of 7,100 polling places, which would amount to a review of more than three million ballots. He also urged calm and unity, saying that he regarded Mr. Abdullah as a respected national figure who did not want to hurt the country, but insisting that any talk of a parallel government would remain just that: only talk.

“We are all responsible to the people of Afghanistan,” Mr. Ghani said. “This country is a unified nation, and it is enthusiastic about a single government, not a parallel one.”

Overnight, supporters from both political camps demonstrated in the streets, each hailing its candidate as the legitimate president despite the caution of election officials that the results were not final. Several powerful allies of Mr. Abdullah have publicly called for him to form a breakaway government, incensed that the administration would release results they say have been engineered by Mr. Ghani, the election commission and President Hamid Karzai.

Image

Abdullah supporters who attacked a picture of President Hamid Karzai were later scolded by Mr. Abdullah for doing so.CreditDiego Ibarra Sánchez for The New York Times

But Mr. Abdullah stopped just short of taking that action on Tuesday. Instead, he asked supporters gathered in Kabul for more time to decide the right course of action, citing the urging of Mr. Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, who is coming to Afghanistan on Friday in response to the crisis.

“The people of Afghanistan have been asking us to announce our government today, and we can’t disregard this right,” Mr. Abdullah said. “I am not going to betray you — just give me time to defend justice, freedom, the rule of law and the people’s right. Give me time.”

The gathering, a few thousand officials, elders and supporters, erupted in anger at his request. Several called on Mr. Abdullah to announce his own government on the spot, yelling over the longtime opposition leader even as he urged them to trust him. Before the speech, supporters in the crowded auditorium ripped a picture of Mr. Karzai from the wall and tore it into pieces, an action Mr. Abdullah later chastised them for.

Lurking beneath the surface is a growing fear that long-simmering ethnic tensions could erupt into violence if the crisis is not resolved. While Mr. Abdullah is of mixed ethnicity, his core of supporters hail from the Tajik faction, a group that has long felt cut off from the top tiers of power in Afghanistan. Mr. Ghani owes much of his support to fellow Pashtuns, the country’s largest ethnic group, who have historically ruled the nation.

Those long-held feelings of marginalization have helped drive the current animosity among Mr. Abdullah’s supporters. Many say they believe their leaders will never be allowed to govern Afghanistan, regardless of vote counts. Mr. Abdullah’s personal history also feeds the narrative: He withdrew from the 2009 presidential runoff after evidence of widespread fraud was uncovered. While fraud was committed on both sides, he felt he would not get a fair shot in the runoff against his opponent, Mr. Karzai, who is also a Pashtun.

But Mr. Abdullah is walking a fine line, at once talking about Afghan unity while also threatening to tear the country in half if his demands are not met. Over the past several weeks, the language of his followers has intensified as each of Mr. Abdullah’s acts of brinkmanship has failed to get election officials to meet his demands.

Now, it seems he may have overestimated his ability to curb the crowds he whipped up, as evidenced by the hostile response from his supporters on Tuesday. At no point did the crowd concede to his demands for more time to ponder his next move. After several speakers requested that the crowd calm down and listen, the candidate simply left the stage.

Image

Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani on his way to a press conference at his home in Kabul on Tuesday.CreditDiego Ibarra Sánchez for The New York Times

Mr. Abdullah’s request for more time offered a potential reprieve for Western officials, who have been trying to broker a resolution. Over the weekend, it briefly appeared as though the two presidential teams were approaching an agreement on an audit of the runoff vote, a condition that Mr. Abdullah laid down before he would agree to rejoin the process.

After working until 3 a.m. Monday, the teams had agreed to four criteria for an audit, though arguments remained over the last two. Then, the election commission decided to release the preliminary results, a red line for the Abdullah campaign, upending the talks.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Abdullah said that Mr. Obama, along with Mr. Kerry, had called to assure him that the United States would stand next to the people of Afghanistan in fighting fraud. Mr. Abdullah was also informed that Mr. Kerry would come to Afghanistan on Friday. The White House confirmed the call, saying that Mr. Obama reiterated the need for a deep review of the voting, but also told Mr. Abdullah that there was no justification for resorting to violent or extra-constitutional measures.

During his speech, Mr. Abdullah used the call to justify asking his supporters to be patient. But even as he did so, at least some of his powerful allies were already issuing marching orders.

During Mr. Abdullah’s speech, Atta Mohammad Noor, a former warlord and the powerful governor of Balkh Province, issued a statement on Facebook, saying, “From this moment on, we announce our own legitimate government led by Abdullah Abdullah.”

The statement offered guidance for followers in the coming days: Do not confront either domestic or foreign security forces, and avoid damaging government institutions and public property.

“In any of your moves, prove that you are good and obedient citizens who respect the law,” the statement said.

Haris Kakar, Jawad Sukhanyar and Ahmad Shakib contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Afghan Candidate Stops Short of Forming Government. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe